Night Trains and Palaces

Well a 12 hour train ride isn't half bad when you sleep half the time and can have good conversation. Our group cohesion is great! From my previous experiences, there is something special about getting a group of students together from different backgrounds and throwing them into a situation in which they are forced to rely on one another. I love how everything works itself out, it’s beautiful. Similar to my Duke Engage experience, I am enjoying the difference personalities. I can also appreciate my peer’s intelligence. It’s funny how we can go from talking about something trivial to ancient civilizations, current politics, or even the existence of big foot. I love the randomness.

Our bags being carried to the train

Once we arrived in Udaipur, our new home, we had 2 days of orientation. During orientation, we stayed at Chunda Palace. I believe I speak for everyone when I say that the hotel completely took our breath away. It is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. There is so much detail in every single mark on the wall, every painting,  and every chair. The hotel is true to its name, it is a palace. After we expressed our awe of the place some of our advisers informed us that it is only a 3 star hotel! I couldn't even imagine what a 5 star hotel is like, because I thought this place was heaven on Earth.

My hotel room

View from the hotel at night

Wednesday we had a very full day. We stayed at the hotel for orientation and heard from many different speakers including our 2 Indian professors (Dr.Sharad and Dr.Kirti, they are married) I didn't realize that we would be meeting our Indian student co-researcher. I was one of the first people to walk into the room and I’m sure I looked like a deer in headlights. No one told us that we would be meeting. I was very surprised when I walked in the room and all eyes were on me, curious if I was their partner. I really enjoy meeting my co-researcher Shivani. She reminds me of one of my friends back home. She is small, funny, and quirky. I am so thankful of this, because I will need her assistance in order to pull off my research this semester. We will live together in the village when we go for assignment. In the village, she will be the only other person that speaks English. All of the co-researchers are around 21 years old and are currently in college in Udaipur.

Some of the Duke students woke up early this morning to watch the sunrise at 7:30am from the roof of our hotel. It was a perfect setting; the sun beautifully appeared from behind the mountains. As much as I enjoyed experiencing that sight, man am I paying for it now with my lack of energy! Today was an especially important day because we met our home-stay families for the first time. I was extremely nervous, there is always the fear of “what if they don’t like me”. 2 months would be a long time to be in an uncomfortable situation. I felt like my heart was in my throat as the different host families began making their way into the room.

The sun rise

I was finally introduced to my host father and brother. They are very kind and wanted me to know that I am very welcome in their home and they are happy to have me. My host father is an ex-army general and my host mother owns a beauty parlor. They have 3 children, an 18 year old boy and a 14 year old boy and girl that are twins. They live in a beautiful home that is about 15 minutes from my school. It was nice to get my own semi-permanent home where I can unpack and make it my own. It will take a few days to totally warm up to them, but I am in a loving home. The parents have told me that I have all the rights and privileges of their own children and if there is any problem at all to bring it to their attention. I have been observing to see how they act within the home. There are many small cultural things we learned in orientation and I would hate to forget one and offend someone. For example, we learned that you must eat with your right hand and not put your mouth in water bottles. This is called “Joota” and is highly frowned upon. I found myself almost sweating at dinner to remember not to use my left hand! The food was delicious, my host mother even asked me about all my preferences before she cooked so this might have been the first non-spicy (just like I like it) meal I've had since arriving in India.

Denzell and I after being greeted at the hotel

Now that this most nerve wrecking part is over, I can move on to trying to find my way around the city and not get lost on my way to class. My host father will be driving me to school for the next 3 days, but after that it’s my job to catch an auto! Lord knows I’m not the best with directions, so I’ll have to doing some serious praying about it.

There is something about being away from home that just makes me exhausted earlier.
So Until Next Time,
*Nicole